Process of converting steel-scrap into iron.



TINTTED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

EDWARD M. SGHULZ, OF SERGEANTS HALL, AND GEORGE W. HELMLINGER, OFPITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF CONVERTING STEEL-SCRAP INTO IRON- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed January 24, 1905. Serial No. 242,503.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWARD M. SoHULz, residing at Sergeants Hall, andGEORGE W. HELMLINGER, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Alleghenyand State of Pennsyl Vania, citizens of the United States, have inventedor discovered new and useful Improvements in Processes of ConvertingSteel-Scrap into Iron, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the formation of iron and steel plates, bars,or the like from piles or fagots of iron, steel, or both.

We aim to save what is known in iron-mills as scrap by converting itinto anew product without the necessity of remelting. We utilize notonly scrap or waste iron and steel, but also muck-bars, scrap-bars,steel rails, and the like.

We form the iron or steel scrap bars or rails into. piles or fagots andintersperse among the articles constituting the piles or fagots cheapmaterial, as metallic scale or cinder, sand, and swarf, which is a termused to designate iron and steel borings, filings, turnings, and

thelike. The words scale or cinder are given the meaning they have amongmillmen and are chemically the same. lVhere metal is heated so that theoutside runs-as in a reheating-furnace or under the hammer or in therolls, for example'the dripping material is usually called cinder. Theterm scale is more usually applied to the portions of the hot metalwhich come off when it is too cool to run. Having built the piles orfagots of these elements, we then tie the same together by wires, rods,or bands of iron or steel, and by means of a crane or other mechanicaldevice or by hand, when the piles are not too heavy, they are chargedinto a heating-furnace, where they remain until they come to a weldingheat. They are then drawn from the furnace and passed through rolls orunder hammers and pressed into solid sheets, bars, or the like.

It will be noted that we utilize the products which have been rejectedas worthless for'certain purposes productswhich are cheap and in acondition to be practically worthless for the usual purposes of the millunder the present practices. The scale and swarf are saved andincorporated into the substance of the fagots or piles as they areformed into new solid products. It is not essential to use all thecementing materials named; but they may be all used or not, according asthe mill produces these waste products. Sand is not essential; but itassists to make the cinder or scale pasty, whereby it will not run outof the piles or fagots so readily. The cinder acts as a decarbonizingagent for the steel and forms a welding cement between the constituentscrap pieces or bars of the piles. It also acts upon the product in sucha manner as to prevent blistering. This is an important advantage of ourprocess, as the blistering of iron and steel is asource of great loss,and heretofore a perfect preventive thereof has not been discovered, sofar as We are aware.

The piles or fagots may be of any desired length and cross-section; butwe prefer to make the same rather small and of a rectangular section.They may be square or flat or have an intermediate shape.

No particular furnace is essential; but We recommend some form ofreverberatory furnace. The usual heating-furnace will answer our purposesatisfactorily. Our process is not restricted to the precise furnace werecommend, as the heating might be done otherwise.

We sometimes add charcoal to the material, distributed through the pilesor fagots when the blistering of the resulting product is of noimportance, as it makes a very soft readilyworked product.

In the claims the words ferruginous products in a state of smallsubdivision are intended to cover scale, cinder, borings, filings,turnings, and material of like nature.

Having described our invention, we claim 1. The process of convertingiron and steel articles, such as scrap, bars, rods, and the like intointegral bodies which consists in forming said articles into piles orfagots, interspersed with ferruginous scale or cinder in a state ofsmall subdivision and in sufiicient quantity to form a welding materialfor the said iron or steel, heating the piles or fagots to a weldingheat, and then pressing in a suitable manner the same into integralbodies.

2. The process of converting iron and steel articles such as scrap,bars, rods, and the like into integral bodies which consists in formingsaid articles into piles or fagots, interspersed with sand andferruginous scale or cinder in a state of small subdivision and insufficient quantity to form a welding material for the said iron orsteel, heating the piles 0r fagots l in a suitable manner the same intointegral IO to a Welding heat, and then pressingin a suitbodies. ablemanner the same into integral bodies. Signed at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,this 23d 3. The process of converting iron and steel 1 day of January,1905. articles, such as scrap, bars, rods and the like i EDWARD M.SCHULZ. into integral bodies which consists in forming GEORGE W.HELMLINGER. said articles into piles or fagots, interspersed Witnesses:With iron scale or cinder, heating the piles or i F. N. BARBER,

fagots to a Welding heat, and then pressing MARK ScHMID.

